Tag: Tyler Booker

Alabama sweeps SEC Offensive, Defensive Player of the Week honors

Alabama had three players win SEC awards on Monday afternoon.

As expected, the Alabama Crimson Tide featured heavily in the latest SEC Player of the Week honors announced by the conference Monday, which came as a result of the program’s impressive Week 11 victory over the LSU Tigers.

In all, Alabama would receive three of those weekly honors, beginning with starting quarterback Jalen Milroe being named the SEC Offensive Player of the Week. Milroe would complete 12-of-18 passes for 109 yards, with easily his biggest impact coming in the ground game where he rushed for 185 yards and four touchdowns on 12 attempts.

Alongside Milroe, Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell was also named the SEC Defensive Player of the Week due to his performance against LSU. The linebacker led Alabama in tackles with 12, while also compiling three TFL, 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble, and a PD.

Lastly, one other Alabama player received a honor, as Tyler Booker was named the SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week. Booker helped pave the way for an Alabama team that rushed for a combined 311 yards and six touchdowns, while also averaging 6.5 yards per carry.

Alabama’s Tyler Booker named SEC Co-Offensive Lineman of the Week

Booker received the honor by the conference Monday.

After the team’s impressive 34-0 win over the Missouri Tigers on Saturday, Alabama Crimson Tide starting left guard Tyler Booker has been officially named the SEC Co-Offensive Lineman of the Week.

Booker was the lone Alabama player to receive an honor by the conference Monday, and shared SEC Co-Offensive Lineman of the Week honors with Auburn’s Izavion Miller.

As to why Booker received the honor, the left guard was a key reason behind Alabama’s success offensively against Missouri where they out-gained the Tigers in total yardage a combined 486-239, in particular when it came to running the ball.

Booker helped pave the way for an Alabama rushing attack that amassed 271 yards and four touchdowns on 37 combined attempts, which translated to an average of 7.3 yards per carry. The Alabama left guard also did not allow a sack against Missouri in pass blocking.

A junior, Booker continues to be one of top offensive guards in all of college football this season, and will continue to be a key member of Alabama’s front.

ESPN ranks Alabama trio among Top 25 college football players at midseason

ESPN ranks three Alabama players among the nation’s best.

It is no secret that the Alabama Crimson Tide came into the college football season with a truly loaded roster that was headlined by some of the greatest players in the sport today.

Now at the midway point of the 2024 season as well, those same names have certainly lived up to the hype, with three in particular ranking among ESPN’s Top 25 nationally at midseason. Those names were quarterback Jalen Milroe, offensive guard Tyler Booker, and wide receiver Ryan Williams.

The highest-ranking of that trio was Williams, who went from unranked in the preseason all the way up to No. 9. So far this season, Williams has 23 receptions for 576 yards and a SEC-leading six touchdowns, while also leading the nation with 25 yards per catch as a true freshman.

Booker was the next ranked, coming in at No. 12 after a preseason ranking of No. 31. The veteran offensive lineman has been one of Alabama’s best up front this season, not allowing a sack while at left guard.

Lastly, Milroe rises two spots up to No. 20 from his preseason ranking of No. 22. The Alabama quarterback is currently completing 72.7% of his passes for 1,483 yards and a 12:4 TD:INT ratio, while also rushing for 319 yards and 11 touchdowns.

PFF projects Alabama’s Jalen Milroe to be the first QB taken in the 2025 NFL draft

Alabama’s Jalen Milroe currently being projected to be the No. 2 overall pick in 2025 NFL draft.

Even though the Alabama Crimson Tide entered the season as a top-five team, many people didn’t believe that Kalen DeBoer was ready for the challenge of the SEC. Shoot, I remember seeing a lot of pre-season Playoff projections that didn’t include the Tide.

After a 4-0 start to the season with a win over Kirby Smart and the No. 2 ranked Georgia Bulldogs, the reality is setting in, the dynasty is far from over. QB Jalen Milroe is playing as well as anyone in the country right now and is the betting favorite to win the Heisman Trophy. The offensive line has also performed elite as a unit allowing zero sacks against a nasty front seven of UGA.

As things currently stand, Pro Football Focus projects two members of the Tide to be first-round picks in the 2025 NFL draft. PFF thinks that Milroe will be the first QB selected, going No. 2 overall to the Miami Dolphins saying,

“Milroe is having a fantastic season, highlighted by a massive win against Georgia, where he earned an 89.5 passing grade. He also posted an impressive 74.2 passing grade under pressure in the contest, significantly improving on one of his struggles last season. So far, he has a 4.2% big-time throw percentage and just a 0.9% turnover-worthy play percentage. Combine that with his dual-threat rushing ability, and he has the potential to be a QB1-caliber player.”

Alongside Milroe, the Houston Texans are also expected to take a member of the Alabama offense in the first round in OG Tyler Booker. Booker was first-team All-SEC in 2023 and is off to an even better start in 2024 with PFF expecting the Texans to take him No. 29 overall saying,

“The Texans don’t have many glaring holes on their roster through the first few weeks of the 2024 season, but guard looks like it could become a long-term concern. Kenyon Green is struggling, having earned a 43.9 pass-blocking grade this season, and Shaq Mason will turn 32 next year. Booker has been one of the top guards in the 2025 class, though his grades are slightly lower this season after spending time at left tackle.”

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Alabama announces Players of the Week after 63-0 victory over Western Kentucky

Jalen Milroe one of eight recognized as Players of the Week by Alabama football.

So far, life in the Kalen DeBoer is pretty awesome as the Alabama Crimson Tide knocked off Western Kentucky 63-0 in Week 1. With the legend Nick Saban in attendance, it felt like a cordial passing of the torch.

The offensive headline was QB Jalen Milroe who got his Heisman campaign going early with 279 all-purpose yards and five total touchdowns. Freshman phenom WR Ryan Williams also got in on the party with 84 and 55-yard receiving touchdowns.

We knew that with DeBoer and Milroe teaming up we would see a strong outing from the offensive unit, but it was Kane Wommack’s defense that should give Alabama fans national title hope. S Keon Sabb led the charge early on with two first-quarter interceptions, but it was the relentless pursuit of the front seven that gave the Hilltoppers issues. Aside from being shut out, the WKU offense was only able to muster 145 yards on the day to Alabama’s 600.

Each week gets more difficult from here, but it was about about as good of a coaching debut and season opener as you will ever see for Alabama. Eight players we named as Players of the Week including Milroe as the “Offensive/Skill”, OL Tyler Booker as the “Offensive/Power” and Graham Roten as the “Offense/Scout” and more.

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Alabama lands 14 players on 2024 Preseason Coaches All-SEC Team

Alabama lands 14 total on 2024 Preseason All-SEC Team.

Released on Thursday afternoon, the Alabama Crimson Tide landed a total of 14 players on the 2024 Preseason Coaches All-SEC Team, which ranked as the second-most of any team across the conference. Alabama also had four different First Team selections, which ranked second in the SEC.

The Crimson Tide’s 14 selections trailed only the Georgia Bulldogs, who had 15 total players selected.

Those players selected, as well as what respective team each was named to, are as follows:

  • First Team: OL Tyler Booker, LB Deontae Lawson, DB Malachi Moore, P James Burnip
  • Second Team: OL Kadyn Proctor, C Parker Brailsford, DL Tim Smith, PK Graham Nicholson, LS Kneeland Hibbett
  • Third Team: QB Jalen Milroe, RB Justice Haynes, DL Tim Keenan III, LB Jihaad Campbell, DB Domani Jackson

Of these 14 names, Hibbett was the lone member of the group named as a First Team All-SEC selection a year ago, while both Booker and Burnip were Second Team picks.

Alabama football announces four captains for the 2024 season

QB Jalen Milroe named as one of Alabama Football’s four captains for the 2024 season.

The 2024 college football season is going to be special for everyone with the expanded playoffs, but especially for the Alabama Crimson Tide as they will be in year one of the Kalen DeBoer era following Nick Saban’s January retirement.

Anyone who follows Alabama football knew that the day Saban decided to leave was going to be a tough one, and it absolutely was with several key players departing during the winter transfer window. However, Athletic Director Greg Byrne knew the day would come and was prepared. Within the hour of learning Saban’s retirement plans, Byrne was on a plane headed to Seattle in pursuit of DeBoer.

After guiding the Washington Huskies to a 14-1 record in 2023 with a Pac-12 title and national championship berth, people are really excited to see what DeBoer can do with the resources available to him in Tuscaloosa. DeBoer is very player-oriented and has done a phenomenal job integrating himself into the team and community.

Now, just 11 days away from the start of the DeBoer era and 2024 season, the Crimson Tide have named their four captains – QB Jalen Milroe, LB Deontae Lawson, OL Tyler Booker and DB Malachi Moore.

All four players stuck through the coaching change and will always have a special place in Tuscaloosa. I could not think of four more deserving players.

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Alabama featured heavily on preseason Lombardi Award watch list

Alabama lands four players on Lombardi Award watch list.

An award that recognizes the top lineman in college football, four different Alabama Crimson Tide football players have been named to the preseason watch list for the 2024 Lombardi Award.

Those players included three offensive linemen in Tyler Booker, Parker Brailsford, and Jaeden Roberts, as well as linebacker Deontae Lawson.

Both of Booker and Roberts were Alabama’s starting offensive guards a year ago at left and right, respectively, while Brailsford, a Washington transfer, is expected to start at center this fall.

Lawson will feature at inside linebacker for the third-straight season coming off a year in which he compiled 67 tackles, 5.5 TFL, and three sacks.

It’s clear by this watch list alone that Alabama’s interior offensive line will be a massive strength for the program this fall. This should only help throughout the year as the Crimson Tide look to establish the run.

Don’t forget about Lawson either however, as the Crimson Tide should have one of the top linebackers in college football.

USA TODAY Sports projects OL Tyler Booker as Alabama’s only first round pick in 2025 NFL draft

Only one member of the 2024 Crimson Tide is projected to be a first-round NFL draft pick.

During Nick Saban’s 17-year tenure as head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide, he basically re-wrote the NFL draft record books with a staggering 133 total picks and 47 first-rounders. In fact, Saban was so good he had every single NFL franchise draft an Alabama player and even had a player from every single position drafted including punter, kicker, fullback and long-snapper.

Unfortunately, Saban retired from the Crimson Tide back in January, but that doesn’t mean the NFL factory is going to come to a halt. New head coach Kalen DeBoer has proven to be one of the best young coaches in the sport after guiding the Washington Huskies to a national title appearance a season ago. Three players from that Huskies team went on to be first-round picks as well as 10 total players so DeBoer certainly knows talent.

As one might have expected, Saban’s retirement led for several players to enter the transfer portal. DeBoer has done an outstanding job of bringing a few guys over from Washington as well as recruiting out of the portal, but it’s just really hard to replace players the caliber of Isaiah Bond and Caleb Downs. So, the 2024 Alabama team might not be the deepest we’ve ever seen, but the Tide do have the No. 1 recruiting class in the 2025 cycle.

With the coaching change and roster turnover, it will be a true test of DeBoer’s coaching abilities. DraftWire of USA TODAY Sports projects IOL Tyler Booker to be Alabama’s lone first-round draft pick in 2025 with the Houston Texans selecting him at No. 20 overall.

It is pretty odd to see an NFL mock draft featuring just one Alabama player, but it is entirely circumstantial. The last time the Tide had just one player selected in the first-round was in 2016 when the Indianapolis Colts selected Ryan Kelly No. 18 overall.

Once DeBoer gets a full off-season in Tuscaloosa and some of his own recruiting classes in, the Crimson Tide will continue to dominate the NFL draft. And for what it’s worth, I would imagine we will see another player or two play themselves into first-round draft status.

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ESPN’s 2024 preseason All-American team features three Alabama players

ESPNs 2024 preseason All-American team dominated by players from the SEC.

New additions to the coaching staff and a roster that changes by the year is nothing new for fans of the Alabama Crimson Tide. Under the guidance of legendary head coach Nick Saban, Alabama was basically replacing an offensive or defensive coordinator every year as well as backfilling around 10 to 15 NFL draft picks every year.

Due to Saban’s retirement and the popularity of the transfer portal, the 2024 Alabama team will look much different than a year ago. The expectations under Kalen DeBoer are still to win an SEC title and compete for a national title. Even though there were significant losses from the Alabama roster following the winter transfer portal window like Caleb Downs and Isaiah Bond, DeBoer has done a phenomenal job of getting the roster assembled.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but the fact of the matter is there is a reason why the Crimson Tide is ranked No. 5 in the AP Poll despite the changes. DeBoer is coming off a year where he guided the Washington Huskies to a national title berth with a roster significantly less talented than what he’s working with in Tuscaloosa.

ESPN also shares my belief that the Crimson Tide will have one of the best rosters this year as they named three players to their 2024 college football preseason All-America team.

They project the offensive line will be the heart and soul of this Alabama team with both C Parker Brailsford and OG Tyler Booker both being named to the first team as well as K Graham Nicholson. LB Deontae Lawson and P Jamed Burnip were both projected to the second team.

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